Flying target.



C. A. SIGAFOOS.

mme TARGET. APPLICATION FILED IAN. 3! 191:?.

Patented May 29, 1917.

CLARK A. SIGAFOOS, 0F OMAHA, NEBRASKA.

FLYING TARGET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 29, 1917.

Applicationled January 3, 1917. Serial No. 140,397.

To all 'whom it may concer/n:

Be it known that I, CLARK A. SreAroos, a citizen of the United States,`and a resident of Omaha, in the county of Douglas and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Flying Targets, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to flying targets and particularly to targets of the kind commonly designated as clay pigeons and extensively used in so-called trap-shooting. In such use of the targets the same are thrown into the air by well-known trap mechanism which is, or should be, such as to cause rota tion of the target during its Hight, since the rotation of the target is a very important factor inthe breakability thereof when it is struck by scattering shot during Hight, and the rotation also contributes to steadiness and uniformity of the Hight. The fragility of targets for use in competitive trap-shoot ing must be gaged very accurately to obtain entirely satisfactory results, and if the targets are toc fragile a large percentage thereof will be broken by the trap, while if they are too tough they may be struck by shot during their Hight and yet not be broken, resulting inthe shooter scoring a miss or failing to be credited with a hit to which he is entitled. In order that targets, of the requisite toughness to withstand throwing without breakage, may be satisfactorily breakable by shot during their Hight, it is essential that they be rapidly rotated during the Hight, and it has been observed by trap-shooters that targets, which are well-proportioned and satisfactorily breakable when properly thrown, will, when thrown from a defective trap which fails to cause rotation thereof, be much more difficult to break than when they are properly thrown; and such nonrotated targets are frequently known to have been hit by one or more shot without being broken, whereas the identical target if rotating would almost certainly be broken. It appears that the greater breakability of the rotated targets is due to the disruptive tendency of centrifugal forces therein, since in most commercial targets of the described class the greatest thickness-and weight of material is in or near the rim thereof, where it has the maximum tendency to disruption by centrifugal force during rotation about a central axis.` It is the obJect of my invention to provide a target of the described class, having means by which the shooter may instant y determine whether or not the target is properly thrown from the trap and rotating during its flight, and thus to enable the competitive shooter to refuse to lire at an improperly thrown target. A. further, and incidental, object of my invention 'is to provide a target which may be readily seen and distinguished from the various backgrounds against which it may appear when in Hight.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the target enibodying my invention, and Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same.

The target provided by my invention is preferably of the usual dislied or saucerlike shape, and may be substantially the same in size, forni and material, with any of theV common and well-known targets of the described class. The target shown in the drawing has a cylindrical rimV l, a

. smaller superposed cylindrical portion 2, an y inwardly-curving dome-like portion 3 rising from the portion 2 and provided with annular ribs or beads 4, and a Hat top 5 having a slightly depressed Hat central portion 6. It will be understood (though not shown in the drawing) that the target is hollowed out on its lower side in the usual way, so as to have merely such thickness of material in the walls thereof as to give it the necessary weight and strength to enable it to be thrown from a trap.

The special and distinctive characteristic of my target lies in the provision upon the sides thereof of one or more spots or surfaceareas 7 which are painted or otherwise ycolored differently from the body of the target, so as to contrast therewith. Said contrasting areas 7 are best located upon opposite fined to the surface of the portions, 2, 3 and 4, and touching but slightly, if at all, the upper edge of the rim 1, or the marginal por-tion 5 of the top. The maximum peripheral or circumferential extent of the contrasting Aareas is preferably about onefourth of the entire circumference, the form of each spot or contrasting area being rou hly elliptical, with the major axis ex* ten ing circumferentially and the minor axis extending radially of the target-body.

As the material from which targets of this class are made is usually black or darksides of the target-body, being concolored, the spots or areas 7 will ordinarily be white, or some comparatively light color. It will be understood, however, that should the body of the target be white or lightcolored7 the spots would be made black or dark-colored, and that the body surface and spots may be of any two colors such that there is a distinct contrast between them. It will be understood further that the coloring may be superficial, as produced by the application of paint or the like to the surface, or that the contrasting colors might be produced by the use of two differentlycolored materials for making the targetbody, said materials being so molded as to appear upon the proper portions of the surface.

I am well aware that it is a common practice to provide targets of this class with a continuous circumferential band or stripe of a color contrasting with that of the remainder of the surface, the provision of such a band or Stripe being' for the purpose of enabling the target to be distinctly seen against either light-colored or darkcolored backgrounds. A like effect is produced when my targets are thrown from a properly adjusted trap, so as to have the before-mentioned rotary movement during their flight, since when the target is rapidly rotated the spots or contrasting areas blend`together optically to form an apparently-continuous band or stripe extending circumferentially of the target-body, and said stripe or band will appear plainly against the differently-colored rim-portion 1 and top-portions 5 and 6. Should the target be thrown, however, so as not to be properly rotated, the blending of the spots into a continuous-appearing band or stripe will not occur, and the fact that the target has not been properly thrown will at once be 'obvious to the shooter. In such event a contestant in competitive trap-shooting may refuse to ire at the target and request an adjustment of the trap such as to cause the targets thrown thereby to be vproperly rotated.

It will be apparent that the location of the spots or contrasting areas of color should be such .that at least a part thereof is visible to the shooter when the target is in any position which it is liable to assume during Hight, and that the circumferential extent of the spot or spots should be such that optical blending thereof will occur when the target is rotating at a suitable rate. Both of these requirements are probably best met by the arrangement of the contrasting areas substantially in the mannerherein illustrated.

Now, having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A flying target of fragile material having circumferentially discontinuous surfaceportions colored to contrast with the remain- 1ng surface-portions thereof.

2. In a breakable flying target for trapshooting, a target-body having surfaceareas of contrasting colors each discontinuous circumferentially of a definite portion of the body. p y

3. In a breakable iiying target for trapshooting, a target-body having alternating surface-areas of contrasting colors, said areas being circumferentiallv discontinuous Vbut adapted to blend optically during rotation of the target-body about a central axis and form an apparently-continuous strip-e around said target-body.V

el. In a breakable flying target for trapshooting', a body having a convex surface symmetrical about a central axis, said surface in general being of a uniform color but having portions of contrasting color, said portions being discontinuous circumferentially of the body. y

5. In a breakable flying target for trapshooting, a target-body having uniformly curvilinear surfaceelements symmetrical about a central axis, and spots on said .surface of a color contrasting with the bodycolor, said spots adapted to blend optically during rotation of the body about its central axis.

c. A. sIGAroos.

.Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G. 

